Amarantos Meditation Mastery Series

Buddha remembering all this past lives before attaining nirvana

नास्ति बुद्धिरयुक्तस्य न चायुक्तस्य भावना |
न चाभावयत: शान्तिरशान्तस्य कुत: सुखम् ||SBG 2.66||

For one who is not in Yoga, there is no intelligence, no concentration of thought.

For him without concentration there is no peace, and for the unpeaceful how can there be happiness?

[as translated by Sri Aurobindo]

BTW What is your mind?

It is like the threshold of the house; from where you can witness the world when turned outside or your actual self when turned within. 

“What is called ‘mind’ is a wondrous power residing in the Self. It causes all thoughts to arise. Apart from thoughts, there is no such thing as mind.”

–Sri Ramana Maharishi,

Principle

When the ego/mind is witnessed in a detached way, thoughts recede .

Meditation should be natural and simple.

Complex meditation “techniques” add more metal activity, defeating the purpose.

Modus operandi

Breath is the master of the mind; being aware of your breath you go towards being aware of your actual self.
In the gap of thoughts, You shine in all Your glory.
There is no goal; just being aware is all that is required.

Pointers For ZaZen

  • Keep your spine erect no matter what position you choose to be in.
  • Start with keeping your eyes half open gazing 3 feet distance away.
  • Have a mild smile and jaws relaxed and lips a little open.

Very Important: Always ensure that you are breathing in from your stomach.

  • Bringing back the mind is what is important and never judge your mediation.

Like you never dip into the same river twice, so is your mind, it will never be the same. But the goal is to realise that One which is a witness to all this flowing. 

Amarantos Mediation Series - Four Breath Cycles

1-Min Crash Course On Four Breath Cycle

The Four Breath Cycles are:-

  1. Inhaling [पूरक]: When you are filling up your lungs… d’oh!
  2. Full [कुम्भक]: You’ve breathed in filling up the “Pot” of your lungs. This might be a plateau, lasting for a very short period of time.
  3. Exhaling [रेचक]: Breathing out.
  4. Empty [शून्यक]: when your lungs are almost empty and you are ready to breath in again. This state might also last only for a few microseconds.
Practice Four Breath Cycles
Practice Four Breath Cycles

Cycle-of-Breath Awareness Meditation

Imagine your stomach or lungs to be a balloon and try to mark all the four phases in your breath cycle as you breathe in and out. 

To make it easy to start with take a witness stand and rest your eyes on the “Inhaling” part in the above practice sheet when breathing in and move them accordingly.

After a while when you feel like doing this with your closed eyes whisper in your mind, “Inhaling” when inhaling. “Full” when your lungs are full, “Exhaling” when emptying the air, and “Empty” when your lungs are completely empty.

Very Important: Be Alert at the “Empty” state as we will building upon this as we deepen our meditation. 

Click here to Download the practice sheet and enjoy practicing whenever you get sometime. 

Proceed to the next stage when you have been able to do it comfortably. 

Learn Dharana